32 Camera Modes Explained — and the Only 3 I Actually Use

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🎛️ Thirty-two modes. Two cameras. One very long episode. I go through every mode on the dial, every scene mode and every creative filter, and I tell you what each one does and when you'd use it. Then I confess the only three I actually use. If you've ever stared at your camera dial and felt guilty about the letters you've never touched, this one is for you. 📸

What's in this episode

•       🎛️ Tip 1: Every mode and submenu setting, what it is, and when you'd use it. One very long tip, and the whole point of the episode.

•       📷 The main dial: from full auto to Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual and Bulb.

•       🌄 The scene modes behind SCN: Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Panning and six more.

•       🎨 The creative filters, and the one thing you can't undo.

•       📱 What if you use a phone? Same decisions, different clothes.

•       🧭 What I actually do: the three modes I use, and when.

•       ✅ Your action: five photos in Aperture Priority, changing the aperture each time.

•       💭 Thoughts from the last episode: a correction. I said 11. It's 32.

📝 Read the full blog post, with all 32 modes in one place: Camera Modes Explained: What Every Mode Does and When

🎧 Related episodes

Episode 31 — What Are The Different Camera Modes? The first look at the dial, a good warm-up for today's detail.

Episode 107 — What Are Creative Modes In Photography - And What Are The Other Modes? The difference between beginner modes and the modes that give you more control.

Episode 230 — Shiny New Camera? Calm Down and Do This First Where to start if your camera's new and the dial feels overwhelming.

💝 Next episode: Friday 20 November

Metering Modes? I Forgot They Even Exist. Here's Why. Your camera judges the light before every photo you take, and there's a setting that decides how. I forgot it existed for years. Next time, I explain why that was fine, and when it very much wasn't.

🔗 Find more

▶️ YouTube: find me on YouTube by searching Rick McEvoy.

🌐 Website: rickmcevoyphotography.com

🎓 Courses: rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses

🧰 Resources: rickmcevoyphotography.com/resources

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Cheers from me Rick